Device for bringing  articles into con-



March 3, 1964 B. TER BRAAK ET AL 3, 2 98 DEVICE FOR BRINGING ARTICLES INTo CONTACT WITH A SOLID OR LIQUID MATERIAL Filed Oct. 20.- 1960 1O 14 T I 1 l IS/ g I 2 i 12 INVENTORS BERNARDUs TE R BRAAK JOHANNES G TER BRAA K United States Patent 3,123,498 DEVIQE FQR BRENGLIG ARTK CLES INTO CON- TACT WITH A SOLID 9R LlQUID MATERKAL 'Bernardns ter Braak and .io'hannes G. ter Break, both of 215-215!) Bnrgemeester Knappertlaan, chiedam, Netherlands Filed Get. 2.0, 196i), Ser. No. 639439 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. MB, 1960 3 Claims. (Cl. 118-19) This invention relates to a device for bringing articles into contact with a solid or liquid material.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is of relatively simple construction and can easily be cleaned.

According to the invention the device comprises an outer drum and an inner drum secured to each other near their ends and mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, means for supplying said material to the device, means for introducing said articles at one end into said inner drum which discharges said articles at its other end, the wall of said inner drum at said other end being provided with perforations retaining said articles but permitting said material to pass into the annular space formed between said drums, said inner drum being adapted to transport said articles and said material contained therein in the direction from the inlet end to the discharge end, said outer drum being adapted to transport said material passed through said perforations and contained in said annular space in the reverse direction, and having an annular end wall at the inlet end spaced from the end of said inner drum, part of said end wall extending obliquely towards the axis into said inner drum and a further part extending from said first part outwards and obliquely towards the axis, said second part defining the inlet opening for introducing said articles, and substantially radially disposed plate members at said annular end wall of said outer drum to cause said material which has been transported through said annular space in the direction of said end wall to be carried along upwards and to be directed by said first oblique part into said inner drum.

There may be provided spiral ribs on the inner walls of the drum for transporting the articles and the material in the respective directions but in a preferred embodiment the drums are provided with longitudinal ribs on their inner Walls and are tapering in opposite directions, the wider end of the inner drum being at the outlet end of the device.

The device according to the invention may be used for coating jellies and the like with sugar, for treating bulbs with a fungicide, and for any application wherein articles are to be bronght into contact with a solid or liquid material.

The invention will be elucidated with reference to the drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention for coating jellies with sugar is shown diagrammatically.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of this embodiment on line II of FIG. 2, which is a transverse sectional elevation on the line II--II of FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown the device comprises a conical outer drum 1 and a conical inner drum 2, the wider ends of which are at opposite ends of the device.

The outer drum 1 is provided with peripheral strips 3 and 4 for rotatably mounting the drums on rollers 5 (FIG. 2). The drums are secured to each other by means of an annular end wall 6 at one end and of radial plate members 7 at the opposite end. At the latter end the outer drum 1 has an annular end wall of special construction, comprising a radially extending part 3, a part 9 extending obliquely towards the axis of the device and a third part 1i) extending from part 9 outwards and obliquely towards said axis. End wall 8, 9, 1i) and plate 3,123,498 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 "Ice members 7 are-arranged so as to form channels putting the space 11 formed between the drums 1 and 2 in communication with the interior of the inner drum 2.

Though end wall 8, 9, 10 is shown to be constructed from separate parts it will be apparent that it may be formed in a single .piece, for example, by a forcing operation wherein the different portions may merge gradually into one another.

The drums 1 and 2 areprovided with longitudinal ribs 12 and 13, respectively, on their inner walls for promoting the transport of the material contained in the space 11 and in the drum 2 into opposite directions due to the conical shape of the drums.

The jellies to be coated are introduced in a moistened condition by means of an endless belt 14 into .the inner drum 2 through the opening defined by part 10 of the end wall 8, 9, 16. A driven roller 15 having a polygonal section aids in delivering the jellies into the inner drum 2. Sugar is supplied tothe inner drum through a conduit 16 from a hopper 17. Surplus sugar passes through perforations 18 provided in the wall of the inner drum at the outlet end thereof (the right hand end as seen in FIG. 1) and is transported through the space 11 towards the inlet end where it is carried along upwards by the plate members 7 whereafter it slides along part 9 into the inner drum 2. Part 14) of the end wall 8, 9, It) prevents the sugar from falling outside the device.

In being transported through the inner drum 2 the jellies are coated by the sugar and, as mentioned hereinbefore, surplus sugar passes through the perforations 18 while the coated jellies are discharged from the open Wider end of the inner drum 2 extending beyond the interconnecting end wall 6 on an endless belt 19.

When the device has to be cleaned any sugar left in the device can be removed by introducing a gutter-like element 20 into the inner drum at the inlet end thereof which receives the sugar falling from part 9. Then, water may be supplied to the device and be discharged in the same way as the sugar by means of element 20 whereafter the device may be dried by an air stream.

What we claim is:

1. A device for bringing articles into contact with a coating material comprising an outer drum and an inner drum secured to each other near their ends and mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, means for supplying said material to the device, means for introducing articles at one end into said inner drum which discharges said articles at its other end, the wall of said inner drum at said other end being provided with perforations retaining said articles but permitting said material to pass into the annular space formed between said drums, said inner drum being provided with means to transport said articles and said material contained therein in the direction from the one end to the other end, said outer drum being provided with means to transport said material passed through said perforations and contained in said annular space in the reverse direction and having an end wall at said one end spaced from the end of said inner drum, part of said end wall being annular and extending obliquely towards the axis into said inner drum and a further annular part extending from said first part outwards and obliquely towards the axis, said further part defining an inlet opening for introducing said articles, and substantially radially disposed plate members in contact with said annular end wall of said outer drum along the full radial length of said part of said end wall to cause said material which has been transported through said annular space in the direction of said end wall to be carried along upwards and to be directed by said first oblique part into said inner drum.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein is additionally supplied a movable chute capable of insertion into said inner drum through said second annular part of the end Wall of the outer drum defining said inlet opening so as to receive a cleaning fluid introduced into the device in place of said coating material and transported from the inner drum to the space between the inner and outer drums and finally deposited on said chute by said first annular part of the end wall of the outer drum, said chute being inclined outwardly and downwardly of said drum to discharge said cleaning fluid.

3. A device for bringing articles into contact with a coating material comprising an outer tapered conical drum and an inner tapered conical drum mounted for rotation and coaxially disposed and secured to each other about a common horizontal axis with their larger ends disposed in opposite directions, means for supplying a coating material to the inside of said inner drum at its larger end, means for introducing articles into said inner drum at its small end and means for discharging said articles at said larger end, the wall of said inner drum at its larger end being provided with perforations retaining said articles but permitting said coating material to pass into the annular space formed between said drums, said outer 4- drurn having an end wall at its larger end spaced from the adjacent end of said inner drum, a first part of said end wall being annular and extending obliquely towards the axis into said inner drum and a second part being also annular and extending from said first part outwards and obliquely towards the axis, said second part defining an axial inlet opening for introducing said articles, and substantially radially disposed plate members in contact with said first annular part of the end wall and extending radially to the periphery of said outer drum to cause coating material which has been transported through said annular space toward said end wall to be carried along upwards and to be directed by said first annular part into said inner drum.

References Giterl in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 964,629 Fasting July 19, 1910 1,497,126 Stead June 10, 1924 1,840,289 Hunter Jan. 5, 1932 2,787,978 Faerber Apr. 9, 1957 

3. A DEVICE FOR BRINGING ARTICLES INTO CONTACT WITH A COATING MATERIAL COMPRISING AN OUTER TAPERED CONICAL DRUM AND AN INNER TAPERED CONICAL DRUM MOUNTED FOR ROTATION AND COAXIALLY DISPOSED AND SECURED TO EACH OTHER ABOUT A COMMON HORIZONTAL AXIS WITH THEIR LARGER ENDS DISPOSED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A COATING MATERIAL TO THE INSIDE OF SAID INNER DRUM AT ITS LARGER END, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING ARTICLES INTO SAID INNER DRUM AT ITS SMALL END AND MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID ARTICLES AT SAID LARGER END, THE WALL OF SAID INNER DRUM AT ITS LARGER END BEING PROVIDED WITH PERFORATIONS RETAINING SAID ARTICLES BUT PERMITTING SAID COATING MATERIAL TO PASS INTO THE ANNULAR SPACE FORMED BETWEEN SAID DRUMS, SAID OUTER DRUM HAVING AN END WALL AT ITS LARGER END SPACED FROM THE ADJACENT END OF SAID INNER DRUM, A FIRST PART OF SAID END WALL BEING ANNULAR AND EXTENDING OBLIQUELY TOWARDS THE AXIS INTO SAID INNER DRUM AND A SECND PART BEING ALSO ANNULAR AND EXTENDING FROM SAID FIRST PART OUTWARDS AND OBLIQUELY TOWARDS THE AXIS, SAID SECOND PART DEFINING AN AXIAL INLET OPENING FOR INTRODUCING SAID ARTICLES, AND SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY DISPOSED PLATE MEMBERS IN CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST ANNULAR PART OF THE END WALL AND EXTENDING RADIALLY TO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID OUTER DRUM TO CAUSE COATING MATERIAL WHICH HAS BEEN TRANSPORTED THROUGH SAID ANNULAR SPACE TOWARD SAID END WALL TO BE CARRIED ALONG UPWARDS AND TO BE DIRECTED BY SAID FIRST ANNULAR PART INTO SAID INNER DRUM. 